subject: Tips For Repairing Vinyl Siding [print this page] While there are many types of siding available to choose between, vinyl siding manages to remain a popular option. This is true for many reasons. The first reason is that vinyl is flexible and difficult to damage. Because it bends instead of breaking, it is very difficult to harm vinyl siding significantly through impacts or warping. Additionally, vinyl siding is not vulnerable to rotting or water damage like wood is.
For this reason, vinyl is a great material to protect your home. However, vinyl siding can still be damaged under certain circumstances. What follows should give you enough information to understand the basics of how vinyl siding can be damaged and repaired afterwards.
Vinyl is a very reliable material. However, it has a few weaknesses. First, though it is very resistant to physical damage, in colder temperatures it becomes more stiff and brittle. Very cold vinyl that suffers an impact can break completely.
Even if vinyl does not snap, it can crack or develop other small problems that in effect can be just as damaging. Additionally, vinyl siding can buckle over time. While vinyl siding does last a long time, problems like these are relatively common as the decades go by.
When sections of vinyl siding become damaged, no matter what the reason, it is usually necessary to replace the damaged sections completely. While the surrounding sections are usually salvageable, at least one damaged section usually must be replaced. Replacing damaged sections of vinyl siding is a complex process, particularly when taking into account the need to not accidentally damage other sections of siding.
First, the section above the damaged section is lifted up using special tools. This exposes the nails, which then allows the damaged section to be replaced easily. The process can be repeated several times if multiple sections are damaged.
It is clear that, while vinyl is a good siding material with many advantages, it is not immune to harm. While it can endure a lot of abuse, if given enough time it will require replacement, especially under certain adverse conditions. Keep this in mind when considering what type of fence to get.
While a knowledgeable person can minimize these conditions, or choose a different siding material if they are common, such as in an area with very cold weather, vinyl siding will eventually fail. When this inevitably occurs, it is important to act quickly and repair the damaged siding, or other serious problems may result.
